"I never intended to run a Wall Street firm. I don't think that's where my skill set is. ... I did it because that’s what the situation called for.”

In an interview with finance career site OneWire, Joseph Perella, founder of Perella Weinberg, shares how he started his unlikely (as he tells it) 40-year career on Wall Street. He also shares how he could lose it all in no time at all.

“If you’re an advisor, the most important thing is your reputation … If we jeopardize our reputation, everything begins to melt down and erode overnight. I’ve been on Wall Street for 40 years. If I screw up next month, 40 years doesn’t matter. It’s what I did today.”